Amadeus Movie Essay

Mozart was an extremely childish, immature person; yet one of the most talented musicians of all time.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart baptized as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart lived from January 27, 1756 to December 5, 1791. Mozart was a very influential and prolific composer of more than 600 works, including symphonies, concertante, chamber, piano, opera, and choral music. Regarded as a child prodigy, Mozart composed and performed in the European courts from the age of five, and was engaged at the Salzburg court at 17. Mozart’s musical style can be classified as Classical, although he learned from many of his contemporaries throughout his musical career. In order to better understand Mozart’s genius it is best to begin looking at his earliest contributions to the musical world as a child. From there, an exploration of his

Though extremely different in many ways, Amadeus was successfully translated from stage to film not as an adaptation but a parallel work. Peter Shaffer’s stage version is highly theatrical and unfortunately does not literally translate well to film, for multiple reasons. Shaffer and Milos Forman adapted Amadeus in a way that appealed to cinema audiences through cutting characters, expanding upon characters, altering language and narration, set and costume design, plot changes and taking full advantage of the dramatic powers of the camera. Milos Forman said “The fact that Amadeus was so stylized, so theatrical—well, so un-cinematic, was actually a blessing—it meant we wouldn’t be tempted to merely translate the play to screen, but would be forced to demolish the original, then totally reimagine it as a film.” One of the largest differences between play and film that make the film Amadeus its own piece of art, are the changes in narration. Though called Amadeus, it is really Salieri that occupies the center of the stage and “conducts” the action of the play. In the film, Mozart’s role is enhanced from the beginning.

Wolfgang was busy during his childhood, playing, and practicing his music; he did not get much of a chance to really experience being a child. His father was constantly pushing him to be better, to play hard, and to make more money. Mozart and his father were evidently close, there are many different views to how Leopold fathered his children; some say he was a money hungry truant, others say he was sweet, sensitive, wanted the best for his children, and that the money didn’t matter. I believe that Leopold want the best for his children, and maybe a little money out of it. Eventually, Mozart wanted to leave his native home of Salzburg, he was most likely tired of his father constantly trying to control his life. Having knowledge of the lack of jobs in Vienna, and disregarding his fathers pleads, Mozart left his home anyways, heading for Vienna with no steady job.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived during a period of great change in philosophy, art, religion and music. This change was brought about by the transition from the baroque period where the Catholic Church encouraged the arts to depict religious themes and the aristocracy ruled over the artists. The populace had very little power or recognition.

Moreover, Mozart’s music in Amadeus is attributed to survey intricate relationship between God and humans. Through Salieri’s powerful jealousy of Mozart’s music and his intense blame on God, the movie proposes the issue of human’s incomplete belief in God and the question about the existence of God. Salieri, in the beginning part of the movie, is presented as the profoundly religious human. He believes that God grants his faithful wish to be a successful composer so he tries to devote to his God earnestly. However, after the appearance of Mozart in his life, Salieri starts to distrust God and commit blasphemy. Throughout the movie, Salieri’s strong covetousness of Mozart’s talent and his blame on God who only gives his gift not to his honest son but to an obscene child, Mozart, are

Mozart was a virtuoso on the piano. A virtuoso refers to someone who is highly skilled on his or her instrument. Mozart played keyboard and violin while his sister only played the keyboard. At the early age of 3, Mozart was showing signs of being musically gifted and began composing shortly after. Both he and his sister received intense musical training which, in turn, allowed Mozart the opportunity to grow as a musician. It became certain that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a child prodigy. This meant that he had a skill that was not learned. He had a natural gift for music. Their father, Leopold began teaching his children music at a young age. Because of this, both children were destined to get far in their musical careers. Over his short life, Mozart wrote several operas. His most famous operas include; The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute and La Clemenza di Tito. Operas and plays that are entirely sung. Each of Mozart’s operas have a story behind it. For example, The Marriage of Figaro is a comedy about a couple trying to get married but, a series of obstacles interferes with it. Because Mozart showed a talent for music at the young age of six, his father took him and his sister to play in from of a court and they caught the attention of important individuals. This resulted in a tour.

Mozart has remained an influence in popular contemporary music in varying genres ranging from Jazz to modern Rock and Heavy metal. An example of this influence is the jazz pianist Chick Corea, who has performed piano concertos of Mozart and was inspired by them to write a concerto of his own. Milos Forman’s 1984 motion picture, Amadeus, based on the play by Peter Shaffer, won eight Academy Awards and was one of the year’s most popular films. The film popularized Mozart’s pieces.

     Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is said to be the greatest genius in western music history. Wolfgang Amadeus was born in Salzburg, Austria January 27, 1756 his parents were Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria Pertl. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s father was a successful composer, violinist, and assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg court. The

According to Casey Robinson, one of the scriptwriters for the film Casablanca was, “True Yesterday. True Today. True Tomorrow.” Casablanca, directed by the great Michael Curtiz, is one of the most famous, eminent classic films of all. But what makes this movie a “classic?” What makes it so timeless? What makes this film both a classic and timeless is the cast, the script, and the cinematography.

     Without a doubt, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born January 27, 1756, in Salzburg, was probably the greatest genius in Western musical history. His father was a noted composer, pedagogue and author of a famous treatise on violin

This paper will take a look into the movie Amadeus, to see if the film accurately

Despite his celebrity status, Mozart's life was filled with suffering. Although he had great musical ability, Mozart's strange dependence on his father and early fame may have led to his immaturity with others and with his personal finances. At a young age, Mozart's fame quickly spread as he was lavishly celebrated by all. Being fully conscious of his musical talent, an arrogant demeanor developed with many that he worked for and with. This celebrity status and

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A Concise Biography. Films On Demand. Films Media Group, 2007. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

First of all, the Mozart’s music in Amadeus is used to vividly illustrate the overall life of Mozart and the situation in which Mozart’s was in when he composed his music. The film Amadeus is based on the play of the same title written by Peter Shaffer which is created depending on the rumor floating around Vienna in the 1820s that Salieri poisoned Mozart. Even though it is revealed that the rumor, which says, Mozart’s death is related to Salieri, is not true by several historical researches, still Amadeus depicts fictional life of Mozart in realistic way with appealing and enthrallment that the plot has. In addition to the narrative’s high level of immersion, the works of Mozart, which are properly placed with the plot